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How to Manage Your Online Reputation

In today's world, it has become extremely important for businesses to tear down barriers of communication and create deeper connections with customers. Building relationships is vital in the information age and digital marketing in the form of websites and social media has made it easier to connect than ever before. There is however, a dark side. When a company makes themselves vulnerable to public opinion, the tools you have put in place for collecting feedback and sharing information with your audience, can backfire. In the hands of a disgruntled person, the internet can quickly become a double edged sword, and in certain circumstances an angry customer or employee can single handedly ruin a business's reputation. This post covers some of the most common situations where your brand can be severely damaged online.

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Social Media Posts and Comments

Using sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are excellent ways to build your companies brand and reach out to potential customers. But, what happens if a post you create becomes viral, only to discover that half of the comments are left by dissatisfied customers and internet trolls? What if someone makes a video that parody's your company on YouTube and it gets thousands of views from people in your community? Once upon a time, the only local sources of media were the nearby news station and your town newspaper. Now, anyone can be a publisher, broadcaster and producer with the click of a button. At iBoost, we can help you repair any damage from negative exposure on social media quickly so you can move forward in your business. 

Bad Reviews

Listing your company on sites like Yelp and Angie's List is great for small businesses. In fact, many people won't try a new restaurant, hotel or retail store without checking the reviews online. These reviews can be manipulated and abused by irate customers, former employees and even competitive local businesses and overnight all of your hard work can be overturned by anyone determined enough to leave a string of negative reviews. Because having positive reviews on these sites are so crucial to having a good reputation online and in your community, it's important to find a solution as soon as possible. Let the reputation management team at iBoost erase the damage.

Unflattering Media Attention

Media outlets are always looking for news that sells, and often times, that means going after negative stories that will grab attention. Perhaps an angry employee or customer has contacted the local television station or newspaper and they ran the story for all the members of your community to see. Maybe you're a restaurant who recently got a terrible review by a local food columnist and your profits have since taken a nosedive. It is possible to recover, but you'll need to implement strategies to help address the problem and restore the way your business is perceived.

Anti-Brand Hate Websites

Occasionally, furious ex-employees or clients will go the extra mile and create their own website that specifically targets your brand. A few examples of this include:

  • I Hate Starbucks
  • PayPal Sucks
  • Untied (United Airlines)
  • United Package Smashers (UPS)

This is one of the worst blows to a company's online reputation, particularly if they open up a forum, create consistent content and allow others to blast their own complaints on their pages. From an SEO standpoint, it can be the death of your brand within a matter of months. Large corporations have large expense accounts and teams of lawyers that can eradicate these kinds of occurrences. However, if your small business becomes the target, it can be very difficult to fix the problem. 

At iBoost, we offer professional reputation management services to help businesses effectively take control over how their brand is perceived in the online world. We harness the power of Search Engine Optimization and push those damaging posts, reviews and negative comments into the obscurity of Google's 9th or 10th page by implementing proven tools and techniques, as well as creating content that highlights the positive qualities of your brand. If your company's reputation has been victimized, contact iBoost today to find out how we can help.